MALAYSIA OPEN 2008 SF - Li's Legacy Haunts Malaysia

The semi-final, as we all know, is the last hurdle for a player to cross in order to secure a podium spot, but what we don’t always anticipate is the level of intensity a semi-final match can serve. Malaysian fans never fail to bring out the best in their local talents. In the semi-finals of the 2008 Malaysian Super Series, homegrown Lee Chong Wei and Wong Mew Choo were definitely the best bets to prevent a China-dominated final, but it was former Malaysia singles coach Li Mao who stole the show.

It was national pride at stake at the men’s and women’s singles semi-finals, which involved two Malaysia vs China matches. Being the last male and female survivor from their country in these two events, each national representative felt immense pressure to keep their respective national flag flying.

In a boisterous concoction of rhythmic Malay drum beats, the Queen of Malaysian Badminton, Wong Mew Choo, who had defeated Japanese Eriko Hirose in the quarter-final on Friday, was ushered into a hall filled with thundering cheers from the omnipresent Malaysian supporters!

The petite Malaysian number one nearly nailed the 1st game against her 3rd-seeded opponent, Zhu Lin of China. Wong had a total of 7 smash winners that were all sharp and accurately executed, but she was hampered by a rash of inferior net play that enabled Zhu to catch up to a nail-biting score line of 19-all.

Zhu arrived at game point first but Wong was presented a one-of-its-kind opportunity to take the match into deuce but a lack of composure saw Wong jump-smashing a hanging shot wide and bequeathing Zhu the first game 21-19.

Wong never seemed to recover from the mistake as she returned to the second game in an erratic and passive mode. Zhu wasted no time, unleashing a chain of ruthless smashes to set herself up with a wicked 10-point lead. The crowd demonstrated their relentless faith in their flag bearer by non-stop drumming, but a helpless Wong just couldn’t find the stroke to turn the game around and went down tamely 21-12.

It’s the 3rd consecutive time in Malaysia where Wong’s quest for success has been stopped short by Zhu as Malaysia uncannily remained Zhu’s lucky hunting ground. The Chinese number 3 had nicked the 2007 Malaysian Super Series title and was crowned the 2007 World Champion in Malaysia too, defeating Wong en route to both these titles.

Perhaps this is why the Malaysian crowd remained empathetic as they generously applauded Wong when she exited from the court, or perhaps the crowd was confident that their other local hero, top seed Lee Chong Wei, would repay their faithful support.

Up against 8th seed Chen Yu, Lee knew he was in no position to take his top seeding for granted as the China number 4 would be burning with the desire to gain the maximum number of points in order to nick an Olympic qualification berth.

True enough, Chen was unstoppable in the first game as he consistently maintained a comfortable lead but it was the world number 2 Malaysian who showed more maturity, as he responded to the disappointment reeking within the crowd with a courageous catch-up display to even the game at 19-all. In a soul-stirring deuce display, it was Lee who eventually trumped Chen 25-23.

Returning to the court after the break, a pumped-up Lee seemed to have absorbed a sponge-full of advice from his coach as he unleashed a cocktail of precise smashes and exquisite net play as he raced to take the half-time lead before swiftly gunning the Chinese down 21-11.

Lee explained the topsy-turvy nature of the match, “I was initially trying to get used to Chen Yu’s play in the first game. I struggled a lot and finally took it down. As for the second game, I managed to control the tempo so it was a lot easier for me compared to the first one.

“I’ll be playing against Lee Hyun-Il (pictured above) in the finals tomorrow. I think it will be hard for me since [my former coach] Li Mao (pictured right, coaching Lee Chong Wei at the 2006 Thomas Cup) knows my strengths and weaknesses very well. Whatever happens, I will try my best.”

Though the other men’s singles semi-final match had no Malaysian representative -- it was between Korea’s Lee Hyun-II and Denmark’s Kenneth Jonassen -- the Malaysian crowd was heard cheering but not for either player. Instead, it was for Lee Chong Wei’s former coach Li Mao, who is currently the coach of Korea’s comeback kid, Lee Hyun-II.

The talented left-handed Korean is clearly still hungry for success. Capitalising on Jonassen’s less-than-agile response at the net, Lee forced the big Dane to remain on the defensive by repetitively leaving the persistent Dane stranded at the net.

Though Lee appeared lethargic towards the end of the second game, he managed a superb smash to silence the 7th seed 21-15, 21-18. Nevertheless, Lee remained positive about his fitness level saying, “I am really glad that I made it to the finals. I guess I am still fit after a long time I hadn’t been playing.”

When asked about the final against Lee Chong Wei, he said, “It is going to be tough. Lee Chong Wei is playing on his home ground and the crowd will be behind him. I hope that I will manage to give him a hard time then.”

Li Mao will definitely ensure his new charge will make that happen. Li, who is currently coaching in Korea, had blasted the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) just a few days ago for their inadequate coaching set-up. He will definitely take this opportunity to prove his point.